Policy & Practice | Fall 2025

Innovative Approaches to Workforce Challenges in Human Services & Wins Workarounds

By Walt Sedlazek

The Workforce Conundrum In the wake of H.R. 1, officially titled as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” the human services sector is at a critical juncture. Workforce shortages, rising service demands, and increasingly complex policy environments have created conditions where traditional approaches to recruitment, retention, and service delivery are no longer sufficient. Industry and media reports, in combination with government agency engagements, highlight the scale of the workforce crisis. For example: n The average state Medicaid agency vacancy rate stands at 17 percent, with some states experiencing rates as high as 30 to 40 percent. 1 n A State Medicaid Director noted that 15–20 percent of their eligi bility staff were new hires and lacked experience. 2 n Conversations with a county eligibility director revealed they face a 28 percent staff turnover rate, a five-month hiring process, and a three-year timeline for caseworkers to be fully trained. n A recent KFF report on Medicaid programs stated, “many states raised the need for systems modernization or essential maintenance as an ongoing administrative challenge.” 3 Inexperienced staff, prolonged hiring cycles, high attrition, limited resources, and outdated systems all contribute to the difficulty of maintaining efficient service levels. This article explores practical and forward-thinking strategies that human services organizations are using to address workforce challenges. From adopting advanced technologies to streamlining operations, these strategies are reshaping service delivery and sup porting critical workforce needs. With the expanded requirements and tight timelines introduced by H.R. 1, addressing these workforce issues is more urgent than ever.

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Policy & Practice Fall 2025